"Won't it ring the bell in the housekeeper's room?"

"No, it doesn't do anything. It doesn't go anywhere. This is very interesting. You can see that it is just hanging near that little opening for ventilator in the wall."

"How very strange! I never noticed before that it doesn't work."

"Very unusual!" said Holmes to himself. He pulled the rope. "There are some very interesting things about this room. For example, the builder must have been a fool. He has made the hole for a ventilator into another room. Why didn't he make the same hole in the other wall, where the ventilator can bring in fresh air?"

"That work was done not long ago," said Miss Stonor.

"Was it done about the same time as the bell-rope was put in?" asked Holmes.